Oral storyteller explains the magic of his craft Special

Bangalore
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Stories have the ability to reach out to people, young and old, and take us on a journey.

If the teller of the story has that particular gift of magic in his/her veins, you can get swept away very easily into other, fantastic lands.

What is it about stories that attract us so much?

Young oral story teller, Vikram Sridhar, practices his art and craft in Bangalore, India. An enthusiastic proponent of the genre, Sridhar stresses how crucial story telling is in our modern world. He points out that dependence on electronic gadgets is increasing in our society, and the simple pleasures of listening to a good story cannot be duplicated through non-human means. He believes, “…parents and adults understand the relevance and necessity of storytelling and its strength in communicating without gadgets in a world completely dependent on gadgets for communicating.”

The software professional from Bangalore, India had always been interested in theatre, urban conservation and working with the less privileged in society.

“Storytelling for me was a sort of connecting of my dots. Over a period of time I had considerable experience in these three sectors. But I found it difficult to concentrate on them individually to create an impact. That’s when I found an opportunity to tell a story, a folktale, to a bunch of fifth grade students. The response I got from the audience and a deeper insight into this wonderful medium made me look at storytelling as a powerful medium, using performance as a tool to take the message to various sections of society,” he says.

Conservation, and man’s relationship with the natural world provides him with inspiration, and he attempts to tackle stereotypes that plague society in his rendition of stories. He sees stories as encapsulating the history and culture of a country. Putting a different, topical interpretation on age-old tales is one of the ways by which he tries to connect with modern youngsters.

Storytelling does not have to be restricted to children only. Vikram belongs to a group of passionate storytellers in his city. They have formalized their group into a professional entity. “Nine professional storytellers in Bangalore came together and formed the Bangalore Storytelling Society which caters to an adult audience. There is a meetup every month. We will be completing a year soon.”

Meanwhile, there’s always another yarn to spin, another kingdom fighting against the demon king.